Abies koreana 'KOHOUT'S ICEBREAKER' dwarf Korean fir

Kohout’s Icebreaker is a witch’s broom of Horstmann’s Silberlocke Korean fir. It was found by Jörg Kohout in his nursery in Elstra, Germany. It is a very dwarf variety producing small, very dense, compact, mounding shrubs with recurved, deep green and glossy needles that expose their striking silver reverse. Thanks to that they appear silver rather than green. Dwarf Korean firs do not loose needles even on older branches unless cultivated in unsuitable conditions.

Kohout’s Icebreaker is a slow grower making some 3-7 cm per year which makes a great patio shrub or a collectable item in a conifer garden or a large rockery. They are commonly propagated the way that plants maintain a mounting habit, however, another propagating method will force formation of a central leader which will change the plant’s shape into a broadly pyramidal shape with tiered branches like a miniature fir. Unless you like this shape remove the leader as soon as it is formed.

Korean fir does best in filtered sun or full sun planted in equally moist soil that does not dry out. For best results grow it in slightly acidic or neutral, well-drained, humus-rich, not compacted soil. It withstands wind and frost but not waterlogging. Large species may be pruned in early spring or trimmed to shapes in midsummer, compact and dwarf varieties usually does not require any pruning or shaping to look fine. Fully hardy to min. -29°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 03-11-2020